


Compromise

by triste



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 06:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triste/pseuds/triste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurogane tries to understand his and Fai's relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Compromise

Title: Compromise  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Tsubasa Chronicle  
Pairing: Fai/Kurogane  
Rating: PG  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

Kurogane could usually rely on a little quiet after closing time for the Cat's Eye Cafe. He could count on both kids being out of the way for a while, especially if he'd been out training with Syaoran earlier in the day, and Mokona was so busy trying to be helpful that Kurogane didn't even have to put up with its incessant tormenting. There were no customers of course, and Fai seemed preoccupied with cleaning up shop, leaving Kurogane to sit at the counter and read his latest copy of Maganyan magazine in peace.

He supposed he should have known it was too good to last and, after getting only four pages in, he found himself distracted by noises in the background. They weren't particularly loud or frequent, but it was still enough to irritate him as he tried to tune it out and concentrate on the more pressing matter of finding out which character in his favourite serial would be getting killed off this week.

Still, Kurogane's patience could only last so long, and it eventually began to wear thin when the noise refused to stop. He knew exactly where it was coming from, and what was causing it. The piano that Fai had insisted on purchasing (God only knew why, he couldn't even play it) had remained mostly untouched since its arrival, making it a waste of space and money in Kurogane's opinion. If Fai had really wanted to decorate the cafe that badly, he should have bought a couple of paintings and hung them on the wall where they'd be out of the way. Paintings didn't make weird sounds and they didn't take up too much room, but Fai continued to maintain that it was necessary.

Kurogane had no idea what could have possessed Fai to start tinkering with the instrument now when he had more constructive things waiting to be done, but the repetitive little 'plink...plink...plink...' notes were giving him a headache.

Blessed silence fell momentarily, but before Kurogane could even breathe a sigh of relief a very unexpected 'GONNNNG' startled him into nearly falling off his chair, and he turned to vent his frustration out on his antagonist.

"What the hell are you *doing*?!" he demanded, feeling even more annoyed when Fai didn't recoil from his glare.

"Exactly what it looks like, Kuro-pon," was the innocent response. "I'm teaching myself how to play!"

"You're just doing it to piss me off!"

"Now really, would I *ever* treat my precious puppy in such a cruel manner?"

Kurogane wanted to answer yes, but since that would have meant letting himself in for further torment he wisely kept his mouth shut, leaving Fai to pout pathetically at his restraint. A smile almost instantly replaced it however, making Kurogane suitably suspicious when Fai waved him over.

"Kuro-rin, come here?"

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Just come? Please?"

Kurogane stood up against his better judgement and walked over to where Fai was, switching his scowl to the piano. "Don't even contemplate asking me to move that thing," he warned, and Fai shook his head.

"I wasn't going to. Here, take a seat."

Kurogane stared as Fai vacated his spot but continued to stand motionless until Fai, amused, guided him into a sitting position before moving behind him.

"I thought we could learn together," he said, taking Kurogane's right hand and placing it onto the keys. "See, the ones up here make high sounds," he eased Kurogane's left hand into place, "while the ones down there make low sounds. Isn't that great?"

"I could have figured that much out on my own!" Kurogane huffed, unimpressed. "Why do I have to do this anyway?"

"Because it's no fun when you're learning by yourself."

"I've never played any instrument before!"

"Is Kuro-puu embarrassed to admit that he's a novice?"

Kurogane slammed down both his hands, striking a thunderous chord that was almost enough to make the floor shake.

"Now, now." Fai clicked his tongue indulgently and stroked a thumb over the back of Kurogane's wrist. "You have to be more gentle. It's a method of making music, not a tool of war."

"I know that!" Kurogane snapped. "Stop touching me already!"

"Silly Kuro-chan. We won't be able to accomplish anything if we don't stay like this."

Kurogane failed to see the incentive behind their proximity and, as alien as the piano was to him, he doubted its creation had been intended for the use of more than one person at a time. The chair would have been bigger if it had, and the piano itself would have been twice as long. Even more difficult was to find meaning in the exercise, but then Fai often delighted in things that were trivial and pointless, and Kurogane, as always, didn't hesitate to express his distaste.

"There's no reason for any of this," he complained, and was somewhat surprised when Fai replied so seriously.

"Does there have to be? Why should anyone feel obligated to defend or justify whatever they happen to enjoy?"

"So what you're basically saying is to screw morals and decency? Without rules and regulation, the whole universe would be thrown into chaos."

"I never knew you were such a conformist, Kuro-sama. Have you always been that way?"

Kurogane didn't speak. He didn't want to remember the brief period in his life when everything he'd once believed in had been shattered, where order and familiarity had collapsed and left him to lose all that was precious.

Fai, seemingly sensing Kurogane's withdrawal, struck another note on the keys as he said, "You shouldn't have to think so hard about this. It's something that the both of us can enjoy, without anyone else getting hurt or offended."

"It's still stupid," Kurogane muttered, and Fai laughed softly.

"It's about gaining new experiences. You can't advance without mastering the basics first. Isn't that what you've been teaching Syaoran-kun? Besides, you can't devote all your spare time to those magazines. It's good to pick up different hobbies!"

"Oh no. Taking clothes from one world to the next is fair enough, but you can't bring the damn piano along when we leave!"

"Why? Mokona could easily look after it for us."

"That's not the point! Making the idiot manjuu double as a portable wardrobe is more than enough, so don't give it anything else to put inside its black hole of a mouth!"

Fai made a noise of disapproval, but gave Kurogane quick nuzzle anyway. "You're saying that because you only believe in carrying around objects of necessity and usefulness?"

"And you don't?" Kurogane said, trying to lean away in order to reclaim some of his personal space.

"I always had my magic before," Fai replied cheerfully. "But even so, you can have a nice mixture of functional and aesthetic, like carrying around first-aid equipment inside a pretty box."

"It doesn't matter if the box is pretty or ugly, as long as it does its job," Kurogane argued, and Fai laughed again.

"You're such a typical man, Kuro-myu. You really are practical to a fault."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all, but then there's also nothing wrong with making the little details count. It's a way of letting someone know that they're appreciated."

"I don't get it," said Kurogane, impatient as ever with Fai's roundabout way of speaking and waiting for him to bring a point to their conversation.

"Take the lunches I make you as an example," Fai told him. "You noticed the puppy picture I embroidered onto the cover, right?"

"Of course I did," Kurogane answered with a scowl. "I nearly threw it away the first time I saw it."

Fai moved away all of a sudden and Kurogane turned around, unsure as to what could have happened to make the wizard stop breathing down his neck when he always took so much delight in being too close for comfort. Fai was smiling, but not the way he usually did. There was nothing guileless or irksome about his expression, just a resigned sort of sadness that darkened his eyes and his aura.

Slightly disturbed by this change of heart, Kurogane wondered if Fai's disappointment was because of his inability to crack the code he'd been talking in, or whether he'd failed some kind of impromptu test. He didn't understand anything anymore, and that was why he didn't even flinch when Fai carefully brought his hands to either side of Kurogane's face, framing it like a treasured portrait.

"Kuro-tan," he teased, tilting Kurogane's chin up and idly rubbing his jaw, "you wouldn't know tact if took the form of a mallet and hit you on the head."

Offended, Kurogane tried to offer a retort but Fai got there first, bringing his lips to Kurogane's and silencing him with a soft, sly kiss. Kurogane sat motionless as Fai's mouth pressed gently against his, slow and careful and almost chaste, unsure of how to react or how to respond. His fingers twitched uselessly by his sides, torn between wanting to push Fai away and wanting to pull him closer, but Fai leaned away before he could come to a decision, staring down at Kurogane and stroking his cheek.

The sadness was gone now, but Kurogane found himself wishing for it to return when he stared back into those pale blue eyes, full of longing and wistfulness, and all of it centred on him. It was terrifying and exhilarating and frustrating and it made Kurogane's chest feel painfully constricted. He held his breath subconsciously as Fai began to lean in, lifting his face just a little and wetting his lips with his tongue when he felt warm breath and whispered words brush over them.

The sound of a door handle turning made them both jerk apart and Kurogane felt secretly relieved by the interruption as Sakura stepped out onto the shop floor, carrying a medical kit.

"I finished treating Syaoran-kun's wounds," she said brightly, oblivious to the tension in the room. "I thought I'd make him some tea. Would you like some, Fai-san? Kurogane-san?"

"Tea would be lovely!" said Fai, completely unfazed, poking Kurogane until he grunted out acceptance. Sakura nodded, pleased that she could be of assistance, and busied herself with boiling the water and preparing the cups.

Kurogane took the opportunity to escape from his seat and from Fai, going over to the counter and ignoring the wizard pointedly. Fai followed, but at a distance, and Sakura looked up from her task.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned, and Fai just smiled.

"It's nothing, Sakura-chan," he replied. "Kuro-pon is feeling grumpy, that's all. Would you like to accompany me on another shopping trip tomorrow? I need to buy new lunch boxes for our puppy pair."

"But we already have two," said Sakura, confused. "You even embroidered covers, remember? They're so cute, and you spent so much time on making them look good!"

"I know," said Fai, patting her on the shoulder. "I think something plainer would work better, though."

"Don't waste the money," Kurogane ordered bluntly, before Sakura could answer. "You already bought that stupid piano out of my pay check."

"I was only planning to replace what you wanted to throw out," Fai told him.

"Forget about that," said Kurogane. "I don't care about aesthetics or details or whatever, as long as the food itself tastes good."

It was as close to an apology as he was ever going to come, and Fai seemed to realise as his smile became more sincere.

"Then I guess I'll have to make a special effort with tomorrow's lunch," he said finally, resting his elbows on the counter top and propping his chin on an upturned palm, fixing his attention directly on Kurogane.

"But no sweet things," Kurogane insisted.

"No sweet things," agreed Fai.

It wasn't simple or easy or perfect, but then compromise never was, and although Kurogane was still relatively new to the concept of give and take, it at least brought him one step closer to fathoming the enigma known as Fai.

 

End.


End file.
